In Thursday’s (9/12) Erie Times-News (Pennsylvania), John Chacona writes about the season-opening concert this Friday of the Erie Chamber Orchestra. “World premieres don’t happen often in Erie, especially when they have a local theme, as does Shannon Wood’s ‘Battle of Put-in-Bay.’ ” The Battle of Put-in-Bay was fought in Lake Erie in September 1813, during the War of 1812. “The Friday concert that will raise the curtain on the Erie Chamber Orchestra’s 36th season will also feature a performance of the Mozart D-major Concerto, K. 218 by violin soloist David Kim, the concertmaster of the renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. That’s big news indeed. ‘The Fabulous Philadelphians,’ as Columbia Records billed the orchestra during Eugene Ormandy’s celebrated tenure there, were known for a uniquely lush sound, particularly among the strings. As the leader of the violins, Kim is, metaphorically at least, the steward of that sound. It’s a mantle the disarmingly modest Kim takes seriously and wears lightly. ‘All of us string players are stewards of that tradition,’ he said…. ‘We don’t talk about it, but we understand that it is part of our tradition, and that we must continue to play that way.’ ”
Posted September 12, 2013
